What the IEC hopes to achieve
THE much awaited 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) officially commenced yesterday with a mass attended by thousands of Roman Catholic faithful at the Plaza Independencia. Held every four years, this is the second time that the Philippines hosted this worldwide gathering of clergies--religious and laity--to bear witness to the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, which is a very important doctrine in Roman Catholic teaching. The first IEC held in the country was in 1937 in Manila. Before the start of the plenary sessions today, to be held mostly at the newly constructed IEC Pavilion inside the seminary compound in Mabolo, there were a series of events that preceded the actual Congress.
Like the 112th convention of members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the first ever held outside of Luzon, and the “Table of Hope,” where more than 1,000 poor children and their parents shared a meal with some of the delegates of the IEC at the seminary compound. A prominent Cebuano priest said it was not a feeding program. They were having a meal, he said. These are two different things, he said. Well, whatever it was, at least the Church filled up some empty stomachs that day. But will the Church do it more often as there are many hungry people out there? And what about survivors of calamities? It is very unfortunate that every time there are calamities, the Church is not religiously donating relief goods to survivors. Some priests don’t even allow their churches to be used as temporary evacuation centers. Where is their love and compassion for the poor and the needy?
Like with the hosting of the Apec meetings and the Asean Summit, ordinary people don’t understand and don’t give a damn about the holding of this weeklong activity here. They are busy with their daily living. If you ask them what is the IEC, they just answer, “daghang obispo ang manganhi (many bishops are coming). Yes, it is that many bishops will be attending the event. But what is the IEC and what does it hope to achieve?
According to the IEC 2016 website, “a Eucharistic Congress is an international gathering of people aimed at promoting an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church. The Roman Ritual De Sacra Communio et de Cultu Mysterii Eucharistic extra Missam defines the Congress as a ‘ pause for commitment and prayer to which a particular Church invites the Universal Church. During this time, the celebration of the Eucharist becomes the center and vortex of all forms of piety, of theological and pastoral reflections, of social commitment’.”
The theme of this year’s IEC is simply “hope.” The word “hope” makes a direct reference to young people, the hope of the future. It also refers to incredible human resources represented by the culture of different peoples, what they have created with the intelligence in their hands, the treasures of their wisdom and centuriesold traditions, their concrete way of being human. “Christ in you, our hope and Glory.” The Congress will involve significant catechesis and engaging testimonies, cultural and social events, moment of friendship and conviviality as a gathering of people who recognize that the risen Christ, celebrated and prayed, is the heart of their life experience.
I hope that after this Congress, some clergies can make reflections as to their roles as servants of God. We’ve heard about some misguided elements within the Church that have eroded peoples’ faith, especially when it comes to their lifestyle. Pope Francis always emphasizes to all clergies to live a simple and modest life. When he was the Archbishop of Argentina, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio lived a simple life. He would even take a bus or public transport and stayed in a simple apartment. He cooked his own food.
But some of our clergies today lead a very expensive and comfortable life. They own flashy cars and huge personal properties. Some participants in this ongoing IEC are staying in expensive hotels. An insider at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral told me that during the mass held there for CBCP members the other day, some bishops were seen riding in SUVs and expensive cars. Well, they may have some rich friends here who let them use their cars. Did anyone bother to ride in a public utility vehicle like Cardinal Bergoglio did? Just watch some of them. I’m quite sure they will eat in expensive restaurants.